Blade wheel



July 13, 1943. R. J. MILLER 2,324,011

' BLADE WHEEL Fil ed Sept; 19, 1940 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 13, 1943 W Raymond J. Miller, Detroit, Mich assignor to Hydraulic Brake Company, Detroit, Micln, a

corporation of California Application September 19, 1940, Serial No. 357,486

5 Claims. 103115) This invention relates to turbines, and more particularly to blade wheels and methods for production thereof.-

Heretofore considerable difficulty has been encountered in the manufacture of blade wheels,

. particularly in instances where it is-desirable to avoid the inhibitive costs of 1 castings and the machining or finishing thereof. The principal diiliculty experienced is the provision of blades for the wheels of the three-dimensional or streamline type without reverting to a solid vane wherein the expense incurred offsets the advan-' tages gained. Another difficulty encountered. is

the attainment of a suitable structure for a vane wherein loss of the dynamic characteristics of the fluid flow is reduced to a minimum.

It has been found that stampings can be used to good advantage in the production of vane wheels in instances where very little characteristics are required in the vane. Such vane wheels are now in general use but they have not proved A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method for the manufacture of vane wheels. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from .the following description taken in connection with the drawing forming a part of this specification, and. in which--- 77 Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a turbo transmissionlillustrating the invention as applied.

entirely satisfactory, due to the loss of dynamic characteristics of the fluid, flow attained only by the use of a vane of a three-dimensional structure. A vane of this type has a typical curve on its front face .or surface, a typical curve on its back face or surface, and a varying thickness from its leading edge to its trailing edge. This type of vane is known in the art as a vane of defined curvature,'and such vanes are generally recognized as the most eflicient type. The in stant invention contemplates the production of a vane wheel wherein vanes of this type. are stamped from sheetmetal stock and assembled on the body of the wheel in such a manner as to avoid any hindrance to smooth fluid flow.

An object of the invention is to provide a vane wheel of simplified structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composite vane wheel including vanes of the three-dimensional type that may be readily stamped from sheetmetal stock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composite vane wheel that may be easily and. quickly assembled.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for mounting vanes of the three-dimensional type on a wheel so that there is no parasitic resistance.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a composite vane wheel including the wheel per se and a plurality of stampings assembled end to end on the wheel each including spaced sections of adjacent vanes. preferably of the threedimensional type.

- Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the vanes with outer shroud removed;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view substantially centrally of adjacent vanes; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a wheel and vane assembly.

Referring to the drawing for more specific details of the invention, l0 represents the inner shroud and I2 the outer shroud of'a turbo transmission. In practice, these shrouds are connected by vanes generally of the two-dimensional type having ears bolted or riveted to the shrouds, and it is universally conceded that such structures as have been previously devised interfere to a greater or less extent with the fluid flow.

In the instant invention, sheetmetal stock, is stamped to provide individual sections it each including an arcuate base or body ifi'comple- 'mentary to the circumference of the inner shroud 10. The base l6 has on one end an upstanding flange constituting the back face or surface ll of a three-dimensional vane 20, and the edge of this back face or surface is turned to provide an outwardly extended tapered flange 22. Similarly the other end of the base it has an upstanding iiange constituting the front face or surface 24. of an adjacent corresponding threedimensional vane, and this front face or surface has its edge turned to provide an outwardly extended tapered flange 26.

The edge of the tapered flange 22 on the back surface l8 on one base It is adapted to abut the edge of the tapered flange 26 on the front surface 24 on an adjacent base ii, the abutting edges of the tapered flanges defining the center line of an individual vane 20 of a three-dimensional type. This particular vane has a suitable nose or entrance edge 28, and the front and back facesor surfaces have typical curves so related to one another as to D fovide a varying thickness of the vane from the entrance edge 2' to the trailing edge 30.

In practice, the required number 01' arcuate sectionslfi are assembled in a fixture and the assembly is fitted in the outer shroud l2 with the tapered flanges 22 and 26 hearing against the inner perimeter of the shroud. The flanges 22 and 26 are then spot-welded to the shroud II, as indicated at 32 and 34. The fixture is then removed and the inner shroud i fitted in a jacket provided by the assembly of the arcuate base It, and finally the several sections l6 are spot-welded to the inner shroud 1'0 as indicated at 36. It is, of course, to be understood that the inner shroud may be omitted.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 4. In this modification a wheel 38 has arranged thereon a plurality of stampings 40 each including a web 42 having on one end an upstanding flange constituting the back surface 44 of a vane 46, and on its other end an upstanding flange constituting the front surface 48 of another vane 48.- The stamped sections 40 are assembled on the wheel with the back surface 44 on one section abutting the front surface 48' on the adjacent stamped section 40, and the sections are spot-welded to one another, as indicated at 50 and each section is spot-welded to the wheel as at 52.

In each of these embodiments of the invention the vanes are arranged in spaced relation to one another, and the webs between each of the vanes present a smooth unbroken surface free of any interference to fluid flow.

Because of the abutting relation of the back face or surface of the vane on one stamping to the front face or surface of the vane on the adjacent stamping, the unit may be assembled withprecision and when spot-welded to one another and to the shrouds or the wheel, as the case may be, lend strength and rigidity to the structure as awhole and reduce the cost of production to the minimum.

While this invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments, the principle involved is susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the various features of the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A blade wheel comprising a support, a plurality of alike stampings thereon each having a base and transversely disposed upwardly and outwardly-extended vane portions on the ends thereof, the outwardly extended vane portions on one base abutting the outwardly extending vane portions on the adjacent base.-

2. A blade wheel comprising a rotatable member and a plurality of alike stampings arranged thereon each having a base with the face of a vane on one end thereof and the back of a vane on its other end, the vane portions on one stamping cooperating with the vane portions on the adiacent stamping to provide a multiple of threedimensional vanes.

3. A blade wheel comprising a rotatable member, and a plurality of alike stampings secured thereto each stamping having a base with the face of a vane on one end thereof transversely disposed with relation to the base and the back of another vane on the other end of the base parallel to the face of the first-mentioned vane, the vane portions on each base cooperating with the vane portions on the adiacent bases toprovide a multiple of streamlined vanes.

4. In a hydraulic torque transmitting device, a varied element comprising an annular core and a series of vane members secured to said core, each of said vane members comprising a sheet metal stamping channel-shaped in section and curved longitudinally around the core and having outwardly extending flanges fitting against and secured to the core, the vane members being assembled on the core with said flanges in abutting relationship to space the vane members.

5. In a hydraulic torque converter, a rotatable annular support, and a plurality of alike members thereon each having the face of a streamline vane on one end and the back of a streamline vane on the other end, the leading and trailing edges of the vane portions on one member abutting the leading and trailing edges of the vane portions on the adjacent members.-

nsvu'onn J. MILLER.- 

